Aerial refueling

Aerial refueling transfers fuel from one aircraft to another in flight. It extends the receiving aircraft’s range or endurance without requiring it to land.

Drogue: A drag-producing device at the end of a hose that stabilizes the hose and provides a coupling for a refueling probe. The drogue steadies the hose end and forms the target for probe-equipped receivers.
Air mobility: The movement of people, equipment, and supplies by air, including strategic and tactical airlift. Tankers extend the reach of aircraft moving personnel and supplies over long distances.
Alexander P. de Seversky: A Russian-born American aviator and aircraft designer who promoted long-range aviation and developed early aerial-refueling concepts. His proposals helped make airborne fuel transfer a subject of practical aviation design.
Probe-and-drogue refueling: An aerial-refueling method in which a receiver inserts a probe into a hose-end basket supplied by a tanker. Unlike the boom method, the receiver guides its probe into a trailing basket.
Refueling boom: A rigid, telescoping tube used to transfer fuel from a tanker aircraft to a receiver aircraft. Its movable control surfaces let the boom operator align the nozzle with a receptacle.
Strategic bombing: Military air operations intended to disrupt an enemy’s capacity or will to wage war by attacking targets in its strategic system. Refueling can let bombers reach distant targets or remain airborne longer.
Wiley Post: An American aviator who made record-setting solo flights and used aerial refueling to extend an around-the-world flight in 1933. His 1933 flight demonstrated refueling as a way to extend an aircraft’s endurance.
Flying boom refueling: An aerial-refueling method in which an operator guides a rigid telescoping boom into a receiver aircraft’s receptacle. Unlike probe-and-drogue, the tanker operator directs the connection from the tanker.
Formation flying: The coordinated flight of two or more aircraft in a planned spatial arrangement. Tanker and receiver must hold a close, steady formation during the transfer.
Combat air patrol: An airborne patrol by combat aircraft intended to detect and respond to hostile aircraft or threats. Tankers help fighters sustain patrols far from their bases.

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